How can I synchronise 2 computers with the same Outlook (2007)?

[rjsdavis]

I have two computers - my main desktop which is what I primarily work from,
and also a laptop which I would like to use effectively as a roving plam-top
albeit slightly bigger....

When the laptop comes home, it joins back onto the network at home, and I
would like to be able to use this connectivity to synchronise both copies of
Outlook (just started using 2007) so that my calenders and email become the
same on both computers - is this possible?

For example - it will synchronise calenders, so that they are the same. Any
new emails that are sent and received will be copied onto both machines, so
that after a replication - both machines are the same. I know that this must
be possible, as when I was working for a former Company back in 1999 - they
had replication between machines back then!! But I just can't see how to set
the two machines up to talk to each other....

Any help would be much appreciated

 

[Larry S]

Look at MS's SyncToy application. Install and run it on the laptop as the
client. Be sure to not make changes on both systems before synchronising -
the most recent Outlook files on one system will overlay the older files on
the other system. You will have to locate the Outlook folders on both
systems and permit folder sharing/updating on both systems.

 

[rjsdavis]

This sounds like it's just the job, but where do I get SyncToy? Is it part of
the Office 2007 package, or a completely separate program? I've never heard
of this before.

Thanks for the help.

Richard

 

[Gordon]

This sounds like it's just the job, but where do I get SyncToy? Is it part
of
the Office 2007 package, or a completely separate program? I've never
heard
of this before.

Thanks for the help.

Richard

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/synctoy.mspx

be warned - it CAN be a bit flakey so make sure you ahve plenty of
backups....

 

[rjsdavis]

Thanks alot for the link - what do you mean by a bit flakey? Is it unstable?

 

[Gordon]

Thanks alot for the link - what do you mean by a bit flakey? Is it
unstable?

Not particularly - I had some "odd" behaviour occasionaly but that was over
a wireless network.
The only think you have to be very careful about if using it to synchronise
pst files, is that it won't synchronise the CONTENTS of the file as such, so
if you have two pst files that have both been used and had data added to or
deleted from, since the last synchronisation, it will replace the older pst
file with the pst file accessed last, (if you get what I mean) which means
that any changes made to the earlier-accessed pst file will be lost.

HTH

 

[rjsdavis]

Thanks again for the info - I would expect that I will continue to use the
Desktop as the master machine, but with it being extremely handy to have an
image of it on the laptop for when I'm out and about.

I would expect that the desktop will be the most updated most of the time,
but a question.

If I imaged a .pst file onto my laptop, and then added calender items and
sent/received some email on the laptop whilst out and about, and came back to
the office, would a synchro session automatically take the newer version from
the laptop and replace the desktop copy or do you have to fiddle with the
settings if the desktop is set up as the master machine?

 

[Gordon]

If I imaged a .pst file onto my laptop, and then added calender items and
sent/received some email on the laptop whilst out and about, and came back
to
the office, would a synchro session automatically take the newer version
from
the laptop and replace the desktop copy or do you have to fiddle with the
settings if the desktop is set up as the master machine?

No - you just set the Synchronisation option to "synchronise" (there are
others) and that will make sure that the same updated file is on both
machines....
Another caveat - you MUST do this with Outlook CLOSED on both machines.....

 

[rjsdavis]

This is excellent - thanks so much for your helpful reply.

 

[Gordon]

This is excellent - thanks so much for your helpful reply.

YW - good luck, and make plenty of backups!